The brand nobody loves.....

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

 Got my Craftsman GT out of this shed this past weekend, gave it an oil-n-filter change, a new fuel filter and of course a bath. They get no respect but this one is about to take on its 16 season mowing for me.  It was a Father's Day gift for me 16 years ago and it's never let me down, very comfy and not to loud. It came with a 46" deck and a triple bagger which it's a perfect combo for my yard and we all know mowing with a hydro is faster and easier than a gear driven tractor.

  Other than the basic maintenance I have never had to wrench on it.

Pics of course;

 

Mike........

 

[DougC 2,641]

Perhaps a Simplicity (Allis C) built tractor? Looks brand new.  

[Digger 66 3,478]

Anything well-kept can be treasured forever .

Pride in ownership is a lost art .

Thanks for posting pics of your tractor . It tells a lot about 'ya ! 

[squonk 41,077]

Same thing happens with the 200 series  I had a 210-H that I only had to replace a fuse and a tie rod in 20 years!  

[bob's toy 32]

WOW, it looks like you just got it. You have done very well taking care of it. That machine will last you another 16 years. Thanks for sharing.

 

[AMC RULES 37,130]

  A little of this will go a long way.   

  

       

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

21 minutes ago, AMC RULES said:

  A little of this will go a long way.   

  

       

Haha! Nope, I like having a bit of green in my shed!

Mike....

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

1 hour ago, DougC said:

Perhaps a Simplicity (Allis C) built tractor? Looks brand new.  

The Craftsmans of this era were built by AYP (American Yard Products) with Kohler power plants and Hydro-Gear transaxles.

 Mike.....

[new horse 44]

I also have an old Craftsman tractor, (older than yours!) very square shaped hood, silver w/red and black stripes, its a GT 18/44, runs like mad, starts on the first spin, in low range it will pull down a house,. unfortunately, the electric PTO is toast and just not worth the expensive replacement, but I still use it for pullin the 48 inch lawn roller, or puttin down fertilizer.  These old Sears machines are from an era when the name Sears still meant quality.

[TDF5G 2,069]

It looks brand new!  

[fireman 1,021]

I'm with you Mike! No respect at all. If I remember this is an 80's vintage tractor and the paint is all original. The engine runs perfect. It was used by a little old guy to mow his 1/8 acre of grass, cleaned off and put away. That's why I used it for this project. It turns heads everywhere I bring it.

 

[Wishin4a416 2,191]

My father in law had Sears[Roper] and Craftsman all his life. They mowed acres and acres for years and years.

[can whlvr 993]

at work I have a few green tractors,a green zero and we have a 24 hp crapsman,it mows great and has all kinds of power,it no horse but sure mows nice

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

Just got it out from hibernation again. Checked the fluids, installed the battery and she fired right up  ! Ready for its 18th season of mowing and bagging. 

 

[Razorback 1,035]

I have 2 Craftsman GTs in my shed... a 1994 GT6000 and a 2009 PGT9000. They are both hydros. The older has been used for gardening, the newer for mowing (54” deck) and garden. Both have been very good machines. 

 

I agree that just about any tractor, used within its limits and taken care of, can last a long time. 

[squonk 41,077]

That bumper is what's saving you. I see these and Deer's with smashed hoods all the time.

[Pullstart 62,839]

Mike how much property do you mow with that, how many hours do you suppose are on it?

[LengerichKA88 1,883]

On 5/11/2016 at 6:11 PM, Digger 66 said:

Pride in ownership is a lost art .

You can say that again. 

 

Im digging that bumper..... I have a Craftsman I need to go get and wanted to make a demo derby tractor out of. I might have to be on the look out for one of those. 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

2 hours ago, pullstart said:

Mike how much property do you mow with that, how many hours do you suppose are on it?

  I have about 3/4 acre of grass that needs steady mowing. I also bag up all my leaves in the fall with this machine. It doesn’t get used at all in the winter, Wheel Horses get the winter chores.

  I’m gonna throw out a guess and say it’s got around 800 hours on it. 

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

Not to rain on Sparky's parade, but I think the brand that goes unloved is anything made by MTD, except maybe some Cub Cadets.

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,315]

7 minutes ago, T-Mo said:

Not to rain on Sparky's parade, but I think the brand that goes unloved is anything made by MTD, except maybe some Cub Cadets.

Very true Terry!

[bds1984 1,429]

I almost hate to say this.... but MTD CAN make some decent machines if they're paid to. 
I don't see why there has to be so little love for many of the Craftsman machines.  There have been a few in my life and they all did their job of mowing the lawn well.  That's what they are, a lawn mower/light duty machine for the most part (except for the SS models) although there are a couple recent models that are a step or two up from a mowing only unit.  Like anything else, it comes down to maintenance and proper use. 

I usually go to Sears every week or two and usually look at their mower section, well, they are exclusively made by MTD now which is a bummer, but their 3000+ series do appear to be decently made lawn mowers.  The one feature I like is the tight turning radius of some models; that would be nice since all of my Wheel Horse machines require a 4-point turn while mowing at times.
I say this every day to my students, the old adage remains true to this day, you get what you pay for.  

[adsm08 2,048]

57 minutes ago, bds1984 said:

I almost hate to say this.... but MTD CAN make some decent machines if they're paid to. 

 

I don't have any problem saying this: Every MTD tractor I have worked on was designed by an idiot. Probably the same idiot, since they all had the same design flaw.

 

I should not have to open the hood AND remove a fender to gain access to the carb. I shouldn't have to remove the fender at all. If you can't build it so the fender comes up with the hood, don't build it at all.

[bds1984 1,429]

15 hours ago, adsm08 said:

 

I don't have any problem saying this: Every MTD tractor I have worked on was designed by an idiot. Probably the same idiot, since they all had the same design flaw.

 

I should not have to open the hood AND remove a fender to gain access to the carb. I shouldn't have to remove the fender at all. If you can't build it so the fender comes up with the hood, don't build it at all.

What have you worked on that is so convoluted to service?

[adsm08 2,048]

11 minutes ago, bds1984 said:

What have you worked on that is so convoluted to service?

 

My grandfather had an MTD ride on, and one of my regular clients has a Yard Machine clone, specifically this piece of garbage:

 

 

The hood seam is just above the Yard Machine decal, and so access to anything on the size of the engine, like the carb or the starter, requires removing the fender, which wouldn't be so bad, that that also removes the hood support, so you can't really make adjustments, and then go test it, without putting it all back together.